After the incredible success of The Hangover, Bradley Cooper became a major movie star. During his career, Cooper was nominated for nine Academy Awards and became part of the largest film franchise in the world of the Marvel cinematic universe. Cooper seemingly did it all, but he might never have been able to do it if he hadn’t overcome substance abuse, and Cooper says that thanks to actor Will Arnett, he was able to do it.
In the Smartless Podcast hosted by Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, Bradley Cooper says that in the early 2000s he tried to imitate the style of many “evil” comedians of that time, and at the same time had a habit of hurting people. Cooper didn’t seem to be fully aware of how he affected people, so it took an honest conversation with Will Arnett for him to understand the situation clearly. Cooper said…
[Will] is like, “Hey, dude, do you remember how we had dinner last night? How do you think it went? I remember sitting at dinner thinking I was so funny and I thought these two guys who were my heroes thought I was so funny… I thought: “I think it was great. I thought I was killing.” And Will Arnett turns to me: “You were a real asshole, man. You were a real asshole. And I’m like, “What?” He’s like, “Yes. And by the way, did your dogs go to the toilet?” I’m like, “What? What time is it now?” “4:00” “Oh no.” “I think they need to go to the bathroom, they’re literally standing at the door.” the problem with drugs and alcohol. And it was Will who told me that, and I’ll never forget it. Oh, the guy who I think is making a bad joke tells me the truth about it, and it changed my whole life. It was at this point that I stopped doing this sneaky humor.
For those who exist in Hollywood, it is not uncommon for them to face substance abuse problems. Stars like Ben Affleck also openly declare their struggle with alcohol. Bradley Cooper has achieved some success at this stage of his career. He had just left his role in “Spy,” but he still had a few years left before he would join the cast of “Bachelor Party in the Hangover” and become a real star. Cooper says that at that moment he had almost no sense of self-esteem, and he used evil comedy as a shield.
Will Arnett was one of those who, according to Bradley Cooper, he looked up to, trying to make such comedies part of his style. Arnett’s comedy may be offensive, but people who know him know that he’s not really like that. Because of this, he admits that this conversation with someone else might not have had the same effect. Since it was Arnett, Cooper actually heard the words. He later continued in an interview…
[Will] took the risk of having a difficult conversation with me, for example, in July 2004, which put me on the path of making a decision to change my life. It was really Will Arnett. He’s the reason.
Bradley Cooper certainly thanks Will Arnett for being able to achieve what he has today. While Arnett is very good at playing an asshole on TV, it seems that he is a really good guy, and he was able to help Bradley Cooper become the same. Cooper has a long list of projects on the horizon that we might never have seen if it weren’t for these events, so all fans can be grateful.
